How does degeneracy pressure respond to cooling?
- It does not depend on temperature
- It fades as the star cools
- It grows only while fusion runs
What holds up a white dwarf?
- Ongoing fusion in its core
- Electron degeneracy pressure
- Heat from its surface
Above about how many solar masses does electron degeneracy fail?
Answer: ______________
A remnant of 2 solar masses remains after a supernova. What is it?
- A white dwarf
- A planet
- A neutron star
A remnant of 0.6 solar masses cools quietly. What is it?
- A neutron star
- A black hole
- A white dwarf
How does a core collapse supernova spread heavy elements?
- It locks every atom inside the remnant
- It blasts the envelope outward into space
- It burns heavy atoms back into hydrogen
Why does an iron core bring support to an end within seconds?
- Iron fusion absorbs energy instead of releasing it
- Iron is too light to feel gravity
- Iron blocks all light from escaping
A student says a 5 solar mass core settles as a neutron star. What is wrong?
- Neutron stars cannot form in supernovae
- Past about 3 solar masses nothing stops the collapse
- Cores that heavy always explode completely
What dead stars leave behind W1-mt_k1oUF3mJlu-s1
- It does not depend on temperature · Quantum crowding cares about density, not heat.
- Electron degeneracy pressure · No fusion runs there; quantum crowding resists the squeeze.
- 1.4 · Past 1.4 solar masses, collapse continues beyond a white dwarf.
- A neutron star · Past the white dwarf ceiling but below 3, neutrons hold it up.
- A white dwarf · Far below the 1.4 ceiling, degeneracy holds it as a white dwarf.
- It blasts the envelope outward into space · The rebounding blast carries the forged elements outward.
- Iron fusion absorbs energy instead of releasing it · With no fresh energy pushing out, the core implodes at once.
- Past about 3 solar masses nothing stops the collapse · At 5 solar masses the collapse runs past neutron matter into a black hole.